Convertible planter and fertilizer-distributer.



No. 659,304. v v Patented Oct 9, I900.

E. m. KING. I CONVERTIBLE PLANTER AND FERTILIZER DISTBIBUTER.

(Appiication filed Kay 14, 1800.

(No Model.)

5 I 0 w v Jlfi s anion.

NITED- ST TES EARLY M; KING, or ABIOSTO, ALABAMA.

CONVERTIBLE PLANTER AND FERTILIZER-DISTRIBUTER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 659.304, dated October 9, 1900.

Application filed May 14, 1900. serial No. 16.651. kNo model.)

To all. whom it may c ncern: bottom plates 7 and the opposing front and" Be it known that I, EARLY M. KING, acilirear inclined side walls 6 of the hopper, as zen of the United States, residing at Ariosto, shown in Fig. 2. To the center of the cut-off 35 in the county of Dale and State of Alabama, plate is secured the front-end of an operatinghave invented a new and useful Convertible lever 12, the said lever beingfulcrumed, as

Planter and Fertilizer-Distributer, of which by a bolt 13, on a cross-bar 14, which conthe following is a specification. nects the side bars 1 of the'frame,'and to the My invention is an improved convertible rear end of said lever 12 is connected the 60 planter and fertilizer-distributer, one object lower end of a hand-lever 15, which is fulto of my invention being to provide means crumed to the rear side of the hopper, as by whereby the plant'er may be adapted forplanta bolt 16. The said hand-lever extends uping seeds or distributing fertilizer at will. ward between the handles 17, which are simi- Another object of my inventionis to prolar to plow-handles, and are attached to the 5 vide means for gaging the quantity of seeds sides and project rearwardly from the hop- 15 or fertilizer discharged from the hopper. per. Supporting-bars .18 areattach'edto the My invention consists in the construction sides of the hopper by bolts or otherwise, as and combination of devices hereinafter fully at 19, and extend rearward and incline downset forth, and pointed out in the claims. ward from the hopper-and are adapted to stir 70 In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is the soil on opposite sides of the furrow, and a sideelevationof aconvertible planter'and thereby cover the seeds or fertilizer, as will fertilizer-distributerembodying myimprovebe understood. If. preferred, suitable coverinents. Fig. 2 is a vertical'longitudinal secing devices-may be-e'mployed .in connection tional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a rear elewith the said bars 18 and secured thereto. 5 vation of the same. Fig. 4. is a transverse An adjusting rod or bolt 20 operates in a sectional View of the same taken on the line threaded opening in one side of the hopper a a of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail bottom plan below the bottom plate thereof, and said adview. justing bolt or rod is connected at its inner The frame of the planter comprises the side end to the gage-plate 11 through a block 21, 80 bars 1 and the hopper 2, which is secured bewhich is bolted to said gage-plate or in any tween the side bars, either as here shown or other suitable manner, as may be preferred, in any other suitable manner. An operatingthe function of the said adj usting-bolt 20 bewheel 3 is disposed between the side bars 1, ing to adjust the gage-plate with relation to near the front ends thereof, and has its shaft the discharge-opening 9 insuch manner as to 85 4 journaled in bearings formed in said side regulate the quantity of seed or fertilizer that bars, and the said shaft is provided at one may be discharged from the hopper at a sinend with a crank 5. The front and rear sides gle operation of the cut-offplate 10 by varyof the hopper2 are inclined and converge ing the size of the uncovered portion of said downwardly, as shown. .A curved plate 7 dischargeopening, as may be required. 90 forms the bottom of the hopper and the ends Bearing-plates 22 are secured on the sides thereof are secured to the inclined front and of the hopper by bolts, as at 23, and said bearrear sides 6 of the hopper, either by bolts 8, ing-plates have circular bosses or oifsets 24, as here shown, or in any other suitable manwhich project inwardly from their inner sides ner, and the said bottom plate is provided and extend through circular openings 25 in 5 with a longitudinally-disposed dischargethe sides of the hopper. Openings extend opening 9 in its lower side. A cut-off; plate eccentrically through the said bearing-plates 10 and gage-plate 11 are disposed on opposite and bosses or offsets,in which openings at rocksides of the discharge-opening 9. Said cutshaft 26 is journaled. Said rock-shaft is prooif and gage plates are curved longitudinally, vided at one end with a crank 27, which is 100 adapted to the contour of the curved bottom connected to the crank 5 by a pitman 28. It plate 7 of the hopper, and bear against the will be understood that the said pitman comsame, and the ends of said cut-off and gage municates rocking motion to the rock-shaft plates are guided and sustained between said 26 from the revolving crank-shaft 4. A stirrer 29 is fast on the rock-shaft 26 and is provided on one side with radial stirring-teeth 30, which operate in the lower portion of the hopper above the discharge-opening 9 thereof and the function of which, as will be understood, is to stir and agitate the seeds or fertilizer in the hopper and cause the same to pass readily through the discharge-opening 9 when the said opening is uncovered by the plate 10. The bearing-plates 22 are reversible on the sides of the hopper and are adapted to be secured thereon either in the position indicated by the drawings, in which the eccentrically-disposed openings therein are on the lower sides thereof, in which case the stirrers 80 extend substantially to the bottom of the hopper, or the said bearing-plates may be so disposed and secured on the sides of the hopper that the eocentrically-disposed openings therein will be near the upper sides thereof, in which disposition of the bearing-plates the shaft 26 will be supported in a higher position in the hopper, and hence the stirringteeth 30 will not so closely approach the bottom of the hopper. When the shaft 26 and the stirrers thereon are disposed in the position shown in the drawings, the stirring-teeth 30 by coaction with the sides of the dischargeopening 9 in the bottom of the hopper will serve to break up lumps and compacted particles of the fertilizer and cause the same to readily pass through the discharge-opening, as will be understood.

Having thus described my invention, I olaim- 1. In a planter, the combination with the hopper, of the reversible bearing-plates on the side thereof, having the eccentrically-disposed openings and the stirrer having its shaft journaled in said openings, substantially as described.

2. In a planter, the hopper having the inclined end walls and the curved bottom plate provided with a discharge-opening,t11e cut-olf plate movable transversely under the bottom plate and having its ends disposed between the latter and the end walls of the hopper, the said bottom plate and the end walls of the hopper forming the guides for the cut-off plate, and the operating-lever attached to the center of the cut-off plate, substantially as described.

3. In a planter the hopper having the inclined end walls and curved bottom plate pro vided with a discharge-opening, the coactin g curved out-off plate and gage-plate movable transversely under the bottom plate of the hopper and having their ends disposed between the latter and the end walls of the hopper, the said bottom plate and said end walls of the hopper forming the guides for the said cut-off and gage plates, the operating-lever attached to the center of the cut-0H plate, and the adjusting-bolt, operating in one side of the hopper and connected to the center of the said gage-plate, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EARLY M. KING.

Witnesses:

W. P. WINDHAM, G. P. DOWLING. 

